Club History

The 2017-18 season marks the 45th season of rugby for the Abbotsford Club. The club was established in the fall of 1972 and began play in the Vancouver Rugby Union at this time. The Fraser Valley Union was established for the 1973-74 season and Abbotsford entered the newly formed second division that year.

Success came early for the club as the team only lost one game during the 1974-75 season. The Abbotsford team won the Fraser Valley Rugby Union's division championship and then battled it's way to the provincial Second Division Championship game at the historic Brockton Oval. Playing for the Daily Province Cup, one of B.C.'s oldest and most historic trophies, Abbotsford lost 18-7 in a hard fought game to the Kats.

In recent years, Abbotsford rugby has experienced tremendous success, winning provincial first division titles in 2016, 2008, 2005, 2004, and 2002, a 2nd division title in 2015 and 3rd Division titles in 2014 and 2004. The club has also seen remarkable growth in its youth programs, with the expansion of its junior rugby player base and creation of many new youth teams. In 2006, Abbotsford youth teams won the BC Championships at the U-15 and U-17 boys levels, and the U-18 girls level. In 2007 the U-16 and U-17 boys both won the provincials as well. 2008 perhaps marked the most successful youth season yet in which the U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-19 boys teams all made the BC final, with the U-16 and U-17 boys earning gold. In 2009 the U-19 Men won BC Championships in both Tier 1 and Tier 2, becoming the first club in BC history to do so. 2012 and 2013 both saw our U-15 teams win gold. In 2014 our U-18 women won their 4th consecutive BC Title

Abbotsford continues to be a community based club and is committed to developing the sport of rugby in the Eastern Fraser Valley. Abbotsford supports a variety of rugby programs in the area from the high school level, to junior and women's programs, and continues to produce quality players for local representative teams. Each year the club is proud to support several rep players for the Valley, B.C. and Canadian sides. The ARFC also started a tradition in 2005 of awarding an Abbotsford All-City team where players from each school are nominated and recognized for their play during the school season.

One of the highlights of each year is the Abbotsford Club's annual two-day Gobbler Classic Tournament held on Thanksgiving weekend since 1977. This memorable rugby showcase features teams from all over the Pacific Northwest and is estimated to help the area’s economy by upwards of $100,000. In 2009, Abbotsford saw it's first taste of true international sevens with the inaugural year of the Abbotsford International Sevens. A joint venture between the ARFC and local marketing partners, the event saw 16 men's teams from 4 countries compete for big money in 2 divisions. The tournament was a great success and now continues to run locally.

The city of Abbotsford is located in Southwestern British Columbia, about one hour east of Vancouver and ten minutes north of the United States border. It has a population of approximately 120,000 and is growing rapidly. The city center is surrounded by an Agricultural Land Reserve, where farming thrives and crops flourish.

Our clubhouse is just off of highway #1. It is owned and operated by the club members and visitors are always welcome!